How to Configure Multiple Sites in Nginx: Simple Guide

To configure multiple sites in nginx, create separate server blocks for each site inside the sites-available directory, then enable them by linking to sites-enabled. Each server block defines the domain, root directory, and other settings for that site.

Syntax

The basic syntax to configure multiple sites in nginx uses server blocks. Each block defines settings for one site, including the domain name and root folder.

• server_name: The domain or subdomain for the site.
• root: The folder where the website files are stored.
• listen: The port number (usually 80 for HTTP).
• location: Defines how requests are handled.

nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    root /var/www/example.com/html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Example

This example shows how to configure two sites, example.com and test.com, on one Nginx server using separate server blocks.

nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    root /var/www/example.com/html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name test.com www.test.com;
    root /var/www/test.com/html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Output

When Nginx is reloaded, requests to example.com serve files from /var/www/example.com/html, and requests to test.com serve files from /var/www/test.com/html.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when configuring multiple sites in Nginx include:

• Not creating symbolic links from sites-available to sites-enabled, so Nginx does not load the site configuration.
• Forgetting to reload or restart Nginx after changes.
• Using the same server_name in multiple blocks, causing conflicts.
• Incorrect file permissions on the website root folder, preventing Nginx from reading files.

bash

## Wrong: Missing symbolic link
# Configuration file in /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com exists but not linked

## Right: Create symbolic link
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

## Reload Nginx
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Output

No output if successful; Nginx reloads with new site configurations.

Quick Reference

Directive	Purpose	Example
listen	Port Nginx listens on	listen 80;
server_name	Domain names for the site	server_name example.com www.example.com;
root	Folder with site files	root /var/www/example.com/html;
location	Request handling rules	location / { try_files $uri $uri/ =404; }
include	Include other config files	include /etc/nginx/snippets/*.conf;

Key Takeaways

Create separate server blocks for each site with unique server_name and root.

Enable site configs by linking from sites-available to sites-enabled.

Always reload Nginx after configuration changes to apply them.

Avoid duplicate server_name entries to prevent conflicts.

Check file permissions so Nginx can access site files.